Plant Breeding and Genetics
SLU has a strong profile and reputation in Plant Breeding and Genetics. The largest departments dealing with these subjects are the Department of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology at campus Alnarp and the Department of Plant Biology and Forest Genetics at campus Ultuna. In addition, Plant Breeding and Genetics Research activities are going on at the Department of Plant Protection Biology (focusing on resistance breeding), the Department of Horticulture (focusing on horticultural plants) and the Department of Agrosystems (focusing on end-use quality), all at campus Alnarp.
The ongoing research at the above mentioned departments covers most areas of Plant Breeding and Genetics research including everything from genetic resources, conventional plant breeding methods, applied plant breeding connected to the plant breeding industry, to the most modern biotechnological techniques. A large range of crops are covered, from conventional Swedish cereals and oil crops, vegetables, and fruits and berries, to a large number of crops and plants from all around the world. The research topics are diverse and include issues such as genetic diversity, resistance to a number of diseases and pests, and end-use quality for food, feed and industrial applications.
The total number of teachers involved in Plant Breeding and Genetics research activities at the above mentioned units is around 75 staff (above post-doc level), and the total number of PhD-students is at present around 50.
The various departments at campus Alnarp contributed with 42, 46 and 42 papers published in scientific review journals within the plant breeding related topics in 2009, 2010 and 2011, respectively. These numbers correspond to 34% of the total publication at the LTJ-faculty during these years.
The department in Ultuna contributed with 39, 44 and 39 papers published in scientific review journals during the years 2009, 2010 and 2011, respectively. Although all of these papers do not fall directly within the area of Plant Breeding and Genetics, most of the papers outside the exact subject are closely related to it.
The above mentioned departments are responsible for all teaching relevant in the area of Plant Breeding and Genetics at SLU. Although SLU does not have any particular bachelor or masters’ program in Plant Breeding and Genetics, the topic is part of most education programmes given at SLU, a consequence of which is that various teachers within the subject contribute to the teaching in a large number of courses. A joint masters’ program in plant breeding and biotechnology is also under planning in collaboration with Lund University.
Beside the mentioned departments, two centers, Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSE) and Plant Link, with focus on basic research in plant genetics are connected to SLU. UPSE is located in Umeå and is a collaboration with Umeå University. The research is focused on basic plant genetics and biotechnology, primarily forestry related. Plant Link is located in Alnarp and is a collaboration with Lund University. The research is focused on basic plant genetics and biotechnology, primarily crops related.